DZWatch Exclusive: A controversy is brewing within Algeria’s education sector regarding parental access to their children’s graded exams in middle school. The issue centers on balancing the rights of parents to monitor their children’s academic progress with the need to maintain the integrity and security of the educational assessment process.
Following recent mid-term exams, many parents of students newly enrolled in middle school expressed frustration at not being allowed to take their children’s corrected exam papers home. Instead, schools permitted only in-class viewing, sparking widespread debate. While this practice has been in place for several years, numerous parents view it as an unjustified restriction on their right to assess their child’s performance and evaluate their efforts, especially considering the significant weight given to certain sections like integrated problem-solving tasks.
These parents are urging the Minister of National Education, Dr. Mohammed Seghir Saadaoui, to intervene and abolish this policy. They argue that denying them access hinders their ability to track their children’s academic development and provide necessary support for improvement. This situation has prompted DZWatch to investigate the complexities surrounding this issue, engaging with educational experts and school administrators to explore the various perspectives.
This case highlights the challenges involved in reconciling educational, legal, and administrative considerations related to exam paper access. The core question is how to safeguard official documents while upholding the family’s right to stay informed about their children’s educational journey. The concern stems from the growing trend of treating mid-term exams similarly to high-stakes national exams, such as the Baccalaureate and middle school certificate exams, where parental access is restricted due to the confidential nature of the documents. Parents, accustomed to reviewing and correcting their children’s papers in primary school, feel that this right is an integral part of their parental responsibilities.
The discontent among parents underscores the perceived violation of their fundamental right to be actively involved in their children’s education. DZWatch will continue to follow this developing story and provide updates as they become available.
